A songbook of progressive/protest music for the twenty-first century. Dozens of anthems from 1970 to the present, from around the world, all with an essential "hook" that makes them ideal for progressive mobilizations and celebrations.

Friday, January 13, 2012

"Things Can Only Get Better" - Howard Jones

Maybe it's the hairstyle, or the ultra-eighties synths. Whatever the reason, Howard Jones's infectious anthem, from his second album (Dream Into Action, 1985), hasn't received the respect and consideration it deserves. It's wedded to a rambunctious beat reminiscent of another song on our list, Eminem's "Business". Jones sings the blazes out of the tune, pushing his range to the limit -- just the thought of thousands of progressives all trying to hit the high notes is reason enough to include it here. The lyrics are another; the first verse and chorus are the core of the song's anthemic potential. Jones shifts from a declaration of common progressive purpose, to a surprisingly poignant evocation of the fear of risk; and then, with the jubilant "Whoa, whoa" refrain, he liberates us from all anxiety:

We're not scared to lose it all

Security throw through the wall

Future dreams we have to realize

A thousand skeptic hands

Won't keep us from the things we plan

Unless we're clinging to the things we prize.

And do you feel scared? -- I do

But I won't stop and falter

And if we threw it all away

Things can only get better.

Whoa, whoa whoa whoa oh oh ...

Of course, we know in our hearts that things can also get worse. But by deploying Jones's reflective, uplifting anthem in our protests, we can bring his idealistic vision a little closer to reality.

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Adam Jones, Ph.D.

We need new anthems. "We Shall Overcome" and "If I Had a Hammer" and "Give Peace a Chance" all had their moment, but they now sound dated and even clichéd. This blog proposes a new songbook (see list below) -- with selections from 1970 to the present -- for the activists of the twenty-first century. To qualify as anthems, these tracks must (a) be broadly positive/ progressive in content; (b) have an essential and substantial "hook" (a line, a verse, a chorus) that could realistically be sung by many progressive people at once, whether for protest or celebration; (c) reflect the ever more globalized world of activism, which means I'm always on the lookout for diverse materials from the Global South; and (d) be appealing to me personally, or why would I be doing this? I'll be blogging over fifty of my own proposals, and I welcome suggestions for further entries. You can share your comments at the end of each entry, and email me with your feedback. Please also let me know if you find any broken links. Now -- let's raise our voices! Adam

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